Die



p 1927' 'r.' N. AIKENS DIE Filed Jan. 24, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet l P T. N. AIKENS DIE Filed Jan, 24, 1925 4 Shgets-Sheet 2 p 19275 T. N. AIKENS DIE Filed Jan. 24, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept. 6 1927.

T. N. AIKENS DIE Filed Jan. 24,;1925 v 4 Shets-Sheet 4 formation of tubular Patented Sept. 6, 1927.

THOMAS N. AIKENS, OF DAY'IO Application OHIO, ASSIGNOR OFQNE-HALF TO DAVID D. WALKER,

or LAKEWOOD, 01110.

DIE.

filed January This invention relatesto certain new and useful in'iprovements in dies forming tubular articlesfrom sheet metal,

' with the edges of the article fold together in the form of a seam.

utilized in ed or locked The die constituting the subjectmatter of the present application is an improvement over the die constituting the subject matter of my prior application Serial No.

499,354l, filed September 8, application I have particularly for operating on formed sheet metal spoke, the the die being to close the spok ing its marginal edges togethe folding or looking them together a partially function of e by bringr and then in the form of a seam which extends the full length of the spoke.

The object of the present invention is to provide a die,

so constructed and operated that the seam-forming operation is performed more effectively, and the inventionmay be here briefly ing in certain novel 3 and combinations and arrangements summarized as consistdetails of construction,

of parts which will be described in the specification and set forth in the appended clalms.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings I have shown my invention uti spokes wheels, and while theticular utility in of that kind, the main lized in the for vehicle invention has par the production of articles features of the invention may be utilized to advantage in forming other tubular articles.

In the drawings v Fig. 1 is a se view of my improved die, taken partly along the line looking downward; Fig. 2 is sectional view of the die, the ing taken through plane; Fig. 3 is an the left of Fig.

ctional plan the section being 1-1 of Fig. 2,

a vertical section besubstantially the center end view looking toward 2 with certain parts broken away and omitted; Fig. 4 is a perspective view with the die closed; Fig.

tive view of the upper die, member,

5 is a perspec looking at the under side thereof; Fig; 6 is a perspective view of the lower die member;

Fig. 7

is a view showing the upper die member and looking at the under side in Fig. 5, but reversed end to e spectto Fig' 5; Fig. 8 is a plan completed spoke; Fig. 9

thereof as nd with review of the is a sectional view of a partially formed spoke which is adapted to be received in the die;

and Figs.

In said disclosed a die designed 24, 1925. Serial no. 4,424.

10, 11 and 12 are similar views illustrating several stages of the seam-forming process performed by the dies.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a tubular spoke A, having a body portion a, a reduced felloe end 61?, and an enlarged wedge-shaped hub portion a having two opposite parallel faces and two opposite tapered faces. The edge portions of the sheet of metal from which the'spoke is formed, are locked togather in the form of a seam a (Fig. 12) -which extends longitudinally of the spoke from the hub end up to the felloe portion. In Fig. 9 I show the partially formed spoke before the edge portions, here designated a and a are brought together and locked in the form of .a'seam, this being the form of the section when placed'in the die. It will be noted that the edge portion a has a flange (4 at its free edge. have shown the spoke closed, ready for the first seam-forming operation, this being the first operation performed by the die; in Fig. 11 the partly formed seam at the close of the first seam-forming operation; and in Fig. 12 a spoke with the seam completed.

In my prior application, shoe is lowered, the open or twin spoke section is first closed and then the seam is formed in two steps, by two seam-forming plungers which are brought into operation successively in one stroke of the press with which the die is used. 7 It is a feature of the present invention that the seam is formed by a double-actingseam-formingtool have ing two seam-forming portions which are successively brought into operation in two strokes of the press, this seam-forming tool being movablysupported by the upper vdie shoe, and beingshifted from one operating position to another as the plunger of the press moves up and down. In the preferred embodiment, the seam-forming tool is pivotally supported with the die-forming portions in planes at right angles to each other, and .is moved from one operative position to another, by being swung through an arc of 90 by the aid of a tripper co-operating with projecting portions on the end of the seam-forming member.

In many respects my improved die is similar to the die of my prior application,

In Fig. 10 I P as the upper die,

"loo

My improved die, like that of the former die, includes a lower die shoe 10, adapted to be supported in fixed position on the bed of a press. The lower die shoe lO'carries a mandrel 11, which has a groove 11 extending along the top thereof for substantially its full length. The mandrel is pivoted to the die shoe 10 preferably by a clevis 12 fixed to the lower die shoe and by a transverse pin 13 passing .therethrough. The seam a of the spoke is formed in the groove 11 as will be explained presently.

Pivoted to the lower die shoe, on opposite sides of the clevice 12 by means of vertical pins 14: are a'pair of laterally swinging jaws 15, which are on opposite sides of the mandrel and are held yi-eldingly apart, when the die is inopen position, by a spring 16. which, when the jaws are closed, envelop the lower half of the mandrel and conform to the shape of the low r half of the body portion of the spoke. VJhen the jaws are closed, they close the partially formed spoke of Fig. 9, bringing the edges together in the manner illustrated in F 10, with the up right edge portions adjacent each other, and with the laterally turned fiange'on one edge portion overhanging the other. Additionally, when the jaws are closed, the spoke en gagesthe top and bottom portions of the mandrel for its full length.

Above the lower parts of the die, just described, is an upper die shoe 17, which is adapted to be secured to the vertically movable ram or plunger of the press. The parts carried by this die shoe 17 have the two-fold function of first closing the jaws 15 so that the latter will close the partially formed spoke in the manner already described, and of then forming the seam. For the purpose of closing the jaws onto the partially formed spoke and for locking'the same in closed position, the upper die shoe 17 is provided at one end, which may be termed the rear end toward thepivoted ends of the jaws, with a pair of depending portions 18, which extend down from the opposite sides of the shoe. Likewise, the upper die shoe is provided at its opposite end with a pair of similar but shorter depending portions 19. The'depending'portions 18 are provided on their inner or adjacent faces with cam plates 20, which cam plates have their lower portions beveled, and their upper portions straight or parallel, as in my prior application, so that when the upper die shoe descends, the beveled portions engage the upper outer portions of'the jaws 15, so as to swing them inward to closed position,'and then as the shoe continues to descend, the upper parallel portions of the cam plates engage the opposite faces of the jaws so as to assist in locking them in closed position.

These jaws have recessed portions,

The forward and shorter depending portions 19 of the upper die shoe have secured to their inner faces locking plates 21, which engage over the outer faces or sides of the jaws 15 when they have been moved inward to closed position by the cam plates 20, so as to securely lock the jaws in closed position during the remainder of the the upper die shoe.

Additionally the upper die shoe is provided on its under side, between the depending portions 18 and 19 with a seam-forming tool 22, which extends the full length of the spoke to be formed. This seam-forming tool has two side portions at right angles to each other, an in cross-section is L-shaped.

The edge portions 22 and 22 of this tool are the active seam-forming portions, the or go portion 22 being provided with a slot 22 andjthe other edge portion being curved or rounded for a portion of its length, as shown at in Fig. 7, so as to conform to the surface of the body portion of the spoke, and for the reinainderof its length being flattened as shown at 22 in Fig. 7, to conform to .the flatface of the hub portion of the spoke. V

The seam-forming tool 22 is pivoted to descent of swing on an axis which is at the angle or at the junction of the two sides. The pivot is preferably formed by two pivot pins which pivotally connect the tool 22 to lugs or ears depending from and located on the center line of the upper die shoe near its ends.

lit will be seen from the above, that when the tool 22 is in one operating position, one side extends vertically downward so as to bring the seam-forming face at the lower edge thereof to the proper position with respect to the spoke, the other side then lying against the under side of the, upper die shoe, and that when the tool is in its other operating position it is turned from. the position just stated, the opposite side now extendiim vertically, swinging its seamforining face in proper relation with respect to the spoke, while the other side now lies against the under side'of the upper die shoe.

The seam-forming tool may be held in either ofits operating positions by any suitable means. In the-drawings I have shown a simple and effective way of accomplish ing this, the means employed consisting of a spring 25, which at one end is connected to a pin 26 on the upper die shoe, and at its other end is connected to a finger 27 projecting out from one end of the tool, as illustrated in Figs. at and 5, the arrangement being such that as the seam-forming tool swings from one operating position to another, the line of pull of the spring passes from one side of the pivot'or axis of move V housing is provided on ment of the tool to the other, so that the spring will be effective to hold the tool in either operating position described above.

As stated above, the seam is formed in two strokes of the press with th'eseam-forining tool of the present invention, and on each upward stroke of the press the position of the tool is reversed by the action of a tripper, which will now be described.

On the lower die shoe adjacent one end of the upper die shoe 17, there is mounted an upright housing 28 for the tripper. This its inner face with two vertically movable slide blocks 29, each having an inwardly projecting latch 30,

fingers has a beveled face 32,

pressed yieldingly outward by a spring 31, and each having an upper beveled face, as shown in the drawings. The projecting ends of these latches are close to the end of the upper die shoe 17 as it moves up and down.

On the adjacent end of the seam-forming tool 22, there are provided two projecting fingers 32, one being located on the endo-f each side portion of the tool. Each of these I and a straight face or shoulder 32", the arrangement being such that the finger on the side of the tool which is horizontal has its bevel face down ward, and its fiat face or shoulder upward.

Furthermore, these fingers are so disposed with reference to the latches30, that on the upward stroke of the press the finger which is on the horizontal side of the tool is directly beneath one of the latches 30 of the ill (ill

The construction is such that on thefirst down stroke of the press, during the seamforming cycle, the face 22 is in operative position, and as the upper die shoe descends, the action of the face 22 of the tool is to first bend down the flange a of the spoke over the edge portion a and then the portions a a and a enter the slot'2'2 and are bent to an inclined position, illustratedin Fig. 11. This completes the first seamforrning step or operation, the edge portions having by, this operation been folded .together and bent over. Then the upper die shoe ascends, and in so doing, the finger 32 on the horizontal side of the tool engages under one of the latches 30 and elevates the corresponding block 29 until it reaches the upper end of the passageway of the housing which receives it, and when the block has reached the upward limit of its movement, the further upward travel of the upper die shoe swings the tool 22 about its axis until the spring 25 crosses the pivotal ,aXis of the tool, whereupon the tool is quickly flipped to its other operating position, bringing the face 22 downward. Then on the next downward stroke of the press the seam-forming face 22 comes into operation and completes the formation of the seam by still further pressing the folded parts together and driving them down into the groove 11 ofthe mandrel, forming the seam as shown second and final seam-forming operation, and completes the seam from the hub end up to the felloe end of the spoke.

As the upper dies shoe ascends following the stroke just described, the spoke, now fully seamed, is stripped from the mandrel,

and another partially formed spoke is inserted thereon. During this upward stroke of the upper die shoe, the position of the seamforniing tool is again reversed so as to bring the face 22 downward, or into position to perform the first seam-forming operation on the next spoke to be seamed. It might be stated that on each downward stroke of the press, the finger 32, which is on the in Fig.'12. .This completes the horizontal side of the tool, passes the latch beneath it, the two bevel faces of the finger and latch engaging each other, causing the latch to be cammed inward. As soon as the finger passes it, it springs outward and occupies a position immediately above it, so

that on the'next upward stroke it is in posi tion to reverse the position of the tool. Thus the two pairs of fingers and latches co-operate to cause the reversal of the tool on each upward stroke, one latch and one finger being inactive, and the other pair active during one cycle of the press, and vice versa for the next cycle. It might be stated also, that when the upper die shoe and seam-forming tool move upward, following the downward stroke during which the first seam-forming operation is performed, though the jaws swing outward, the'spoke cannot open up ice but is retained in closed position. due to the fact that the edge'portions a a and a were folded together and the seam partially formed in the first seam-forming operation. It will be observed by reference to Fig. 6, that one of the jaws 15 is provided on its upper; face'with a projection or abutment 33. 'The inner side or face of this projection constitutes an abutment against which the upright side of the tool 22 bears during the first seam-forming operation, keeping the then vertical side of the tool in perfect alignment, and overcoming the tendency of the reactive force on the tool to swing the tool from its true and proper position.

As the plunger of the press moves up and down, the dies are kept in proper align-- thereby jaws with an upstanding stud 36, with a head or shouldered top portion, this stud being between the jaws when, the latter are closed, and'the jaws being recessed on their inner faces to receive the stud. The purpose of this is to hold the jaws downward against the lower shoe and resist the upward pull thereon exerted by the closing and looking portions of the upper shoeas the latter ascends.

As previously stated, thespoke is stripped from the mandrel when the upper shoe ascends, following the second and final seamforming operation. This is preferably accomplished by a hammer 37, which is mounted on the lower die shoe 10, and is provided with a. plunger 38, located in line with the seam of the spoke. This hammer can be operated either electrically or by air, and the plunger, when forced outwardly, engages the seam of the spoke and forces it from the mandrel either by a single sufiiciently powerful thrust for the purpose, or by a plurality of successive hammer blows which will throw the spoke endwise from the mandrel.

The press is preferably controlled by means of a foot-operated pedal which the operator depresses. As soon as the'spoke is slipped onto the mandrehthe operator depresses the pedal and the press makes two complete strokes or cycles in rapid succession, and during this time the seam is formed, the position of the seam-forming tool being reversed on each upward stroke. On the completion of the second stroke the operator stops the press until the completed spoke is stripped from the mandrel and a new spoke applied thereto, when the opera- 40 I tion is repeated. In this manner the spokes are sean'iedrapidly, but very effectively.

' IVhile I have shown the preferred construction, I do not desire to be confined to the precise details or arrangements shown,

but aim in my claims to cover allmodifica tions which do not involve a departure from the spirit and scope of my lnvention. Furthermore, I Wish it understood that the the may be used for seaming other tubular articles than spokes.

Having described my, invention, I claim:

1. A die for forming a seam on tubular articles comprising two relatively movable members, one having means for holding the tubular member, and the other having a reversible or double-acting seam-forming tool.

2. In a diefor forming a folded seam on tubular articles, a die shoe having a mandrel for "the work, and a co-operati'ng die shoe movable relatlvely to the first, and having a movable seam-forming tool with two seamforming portions and means whereby saidv 7 lar articles a die shoe havin 'a n'iandrel for the work, and "a second die shoe movable relatively to the first and provided with a double-acting pivotally supported, seamforming tool with two seam-forming por tions adapted to successively engage the work to form a seam.

5. In a die for forming a seam in tubular articles, a die shoe having a mandrel'for the work, a second die shoe movable relatively to thefirst and provided with a douhie-acting pivotally supported seanrforming' tool with two seam-forming portions adapted to successively engage the work to form a seam, and means for reversing the position of the tool during the relative movements between the die shoes.

' In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature.

' THOMAS N. A IKENs, 

